Unsung Heroes of Nepali Weddings

For a mere Rupees 300 (or $5) they are it all night, blowing their trumpets and beating drums, making the crowd dance to their beat, sing aloud, rejoice. They're the heart and soul of any wedding. A priceless commodity.

Yet the people who play the music all come from poor background. They’re not educated and aren’t well paid. They do get to enjoy the food at the wedding, and if they’re lucky, they’re provided with a bottle of cheap alcohol to share amongst them. During cold winter nights, the alcohol will go down especially well.

Yesterday at a wedding procession, as the crowd danced and sang, as the procession was approaching the house of the bride, I took couple of photographs of the band members (there were 2 bands actually). I did it partly to make them feel special and egg them on. After the procession went inside the house and there was lull in their play, I even chatted with them asking questions like where they lived, and complimented them for playing good peppy music. They were happy with my attention. There was even a murmur amongst them, each asking others if I was a foreign. You don’t really have to be a foreigner to really notice unsung heroes of Nepal, do you?

Soon, they were playing again. A happy bunch of tired, lithe and hungry band members, trying to impress us all. I hoped someone would give them a good tip also.